Umm, that's not really true. There have been players, most recently Eli Manning comes to mind who didn't play for the team that drafted him.

I agree with your post for the most part though, and Eli is really an outlier. But this is the internet so I'm going to point out that you're wrong.

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Posted by Goldrush25

San Diego, CA

Member since Oct 2012

33794 posts

Posted on 6/30/14 at 5:12 pm to Ostrich

quote:
I think there is something to be said for remaining loyal to a team and committing to the franchise and city through thick and thin - like Kobe, Duncan, Dirk, etc.

If a player's goal is to win and the organization isn't making a good faith effort to improve the team, then they aren't really loyal to that player.

When the Lakers were sitting on their thumbs all of a sudden you'd hear about Kobe trying to force his way out of the Lakers organization. Once they got Pau he was "loyal" again.

Don't get me wrong, I think he was totally justified in taking that stance. But let's chill with the revisionist history. When the Lakers were stagnant Kobe had one foot out of the door.

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Posted by Feral

Member since Mar 2012

12457 posts

Posted on 6/30/14 at 5:26 pm to Goldrush25

quote:
If a player's goal is to win and the organization isn't making a good faith effort to improve the team, then they aren't really loyal to that player.

When the Lakers were sitting on their thumbs all of a sudden you'd hear about Kobe trying to force his way out of the Lakers organization. Once they got Pau he was "loyal" again.

Don't get me wrong, I think he was totally justified in taking that stance. But let's chill with the revisionist history. When the Lakers were stagnant Kobe had one foot out of the door.

This.

Plus, even though the Lakers are terrible and he's past his prime, Kobe is still the NBA's highest paid player. Does that really qualify as "loyalty"?

quote:
Bryant, 35, will maintain his status as the NBA's highest-paid player over the course of the extension, the source told Shelburne. The 2007-08 league MVP will receive $23.5 million in the first year and $25 million in the second year of the extension, according to the source.

Even if the Lakers waived the oft-injured Nash under a special provision limiting his salary cap hit, Bryant would eat up roughly a third of the team's room under the projected cap before anybody else joins him next season.

Bryant, who has not played since suffering a torn Achilles tendon in April, will make more than $30.4 million this season, the final year of his current contract.

ESPN

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Posted by Feral

Member since Mar 2012

12457 posts

Posted on 6/30/14 at 5:34 pm to TexasTiger1185

quote:
A big supporter of staying loyal to a team and city. But what we often don't think about is that team being loyal back.
If a team isn't making a solid effort to improve, or if they just make bad decisions even, the player may have to leave.

It's like a marriage, if one side is loyal, but the other is not then it won't work out.

Agree 100%. I'm not a big LeBron fan, and The Decision was obviously a horrendously stupid thing to do, but was he just supposed to spend his entire career with the Cavs because they drafted him despite the fact they had a horrible front office/ownership team and never surrounded him with decent talent?

Kobe was drafted in 1996 and the Lakers went out and got Shaq that same year. Later on they added guys like Glen Rice, Ron Harper, Rick Fox and Robert Horry, not to mention a GOAT coach in Phil Jackson. Then when he had a foot out the door several years later, they went out and got guys like Gasol and Odom.

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